Substantial uptake of nitrous oxide (N2O) by shoots of mature European beech

• Published in: The Science of the total environment Vol. 934; p. 173122
• Main Authors: Machacova, Katerina, Schindler, Thomas, Bréchet, Laëtitia, Mander, Ülo, Grams, Thorsten E.E.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier B.V 15.07.2024
• Subjects: Exchange; Fagus sylvatica; Forest floor; Greenhouse gas; Tree leaves; Tree stem; Exchange; Tree stem; Tree leaves; Greenhouse gas; Fagus sylvatica; Forest floor
• ISSN: 0048-9697; 1879-1026; 1879-1026
• DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.173122

Similar to soils, tree stems emit and consume nitrous oxide (N2O) from the atmosphere. Although tree leaves dominate tree surface area, they have been completely excluded from field N2O flux measurements and therefore their role in forest N2O exchange remains unknown. We explored the contribution of leaf fluxes to forest N2O exchange. We determined the N2O exchange of mature European beech (Fagus sylvatica) stems and shoots (i.e., terminal branches) and of adjacent forest floor, in a typical temperate upland forest in Germany. The beech stems, and particularly the shoots, acted as net N2O sinks (−0.254 ± 0.827 μg N2O m−2 stem area h−1 and −4.54 ± 1.53 μg N2O m−2 leaf area h−1, respectively), while the forest floor was a net source (2.41 ± 1.08 μg N2O m−2 soil area h−1). The unstudied tree shoots were identified as a significant contributor to the net ecosystem N2O exchange. Moreover, we revealed for the first time that tree leaves act as substantial N2O sinks. Although this is the first study of its kind, it is of global importance for the proper design of future flux studies in forest ecosystems worldwide. Our results demonstrate that excluding tree leaves from forest N2O flux measurements can lead to misinterpretation of tree and forest N2O exchange, and thus global forest greenhouse gas flux inventories. [Display omitted] •Tree leaves have been largely neglected from field N2O flux studies worldwide.•We measured N2O exchange of mature European beech at stem and newly at shoot level.•Beech shoots act as significant N2O sinks, dominating the ecosystem N2O flux.•European beech trees appear to be key contributors to forest N2O uptake.•Field studies should include measurements of N2O flux from overlooked tree shoots.